STAND. COM. REP. NO. 17-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2506
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was
referred H.B. No. 2506 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE
     PARENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect children eligible for
adoption by:

     (1)  Requiring prospective adoptive parents to undergo a
          criminal history record check; and 

     (2)  Authorizing the Department of Human Services (DHS) to
          contract for home studies of prospective adoptive
          parents.

     DHS and the Department of the Attorney General testified in
support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will ensure the
safety of children eligible for adoption by allowing DHS to
obtain national and local criminal history record information on
prospective adoptive parents, a requirement of the federal
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 17-00
                                 Page 2

 
of H.B. No. 2506 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and
be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Human Services
                                   and Housing,



                                   ______________________________
                                   DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair